Lifestyle
Summer fashion tips
By RNZFB member, Kirsten Metcalf
This summer has a variety of different trends that can bring a bit of style to anybody's wardrobe.
For the ladies, bright, bold and beautiful is what comes to mind with the latest trend of colour blocking. Choose two complementary colours and introduce a third by accessorising with belts, shoes and scarves. Beat the pavement with some comfy ballet flats, coloured strappy sandals and flat loafers that will give you added stability.
For the men, choose colours that complement your complexion. Opt for a conservative monochrome colour, such as a grey suit with a white shirt. For a relaxed look, pick a casual jacket with a t-shirt and fitted trousers or jeans.
Organising your wardrobe
Become familiar with your wardrobe and save time getting ready for the day ahead:
- Hang a whole outfit on one coat hanger.
- Group clothing into categories e.g. trousers, shirts etc.
- Store smaller pieces, like accessories in multi-drawer units or shoe boxes. Label these with large print or braille.
- Use tactual cues to identify the features of different items – take note of the texture and cut.
- Cut labels in various ways you can recognise or sew a small button on.
- Consider buying a talking colour detector from the RNZFB Equipment Shop (phone 0800 24 33 33, option 4).
For more fashion tips refer to our website:
www.rnzfb.org.nz/ fashionformembers
Photograph: Kirsten Metcalf.
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Sweet summer recipe: Pink Lady cake
From That Blind Woman, RNZFB member Julie Woods
What could be better for a sweet summer treat than a bright pink cake! Julie Woods loves baking the Pink Lady, a cake her mother made for her when she was growing up. This easy butter cake has coconut added for moistness and contrast on the pink icing.
Ingredients
- 125 grams of butter
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 cups of flour
- Pinch of salt
- Half a cup of coconu
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
- Half a cup of milk
- Red food colouring or cochineal
Method
1. Beat together softened butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs and dry ingredients to the mixture.
3. Add milk and food colouring.
4. Bake in a slice tin for 30 minutes at 180 degrees (or lower).
5. Ice with pink icing and sprinkle with coconut. Enjoy!
This recipe is available in accessible formats through the RNZFB Library on 0800 24 33 33 option 2 or library@rnzfb.org.nz
Photograph: Julie Woods, our 'Cooking without looking' expert.
Page 28
Making waves: the return of audio
Almost a century on from the arrival of sound on screen with the 1920s ‘talkies’, audio is once again making waves as audio description enhances our television and stage entertainment.
Recent highlights
In July, Wellington’s Downstage Theatre featured an audio described performance of Awhi Tapu, and in October, Circa Theatre brought Wellington’s blind and partially sighted community Four Flat Whites in Italy.
Photograph: A scene from Anything Goes.
Auckland has also embraced audio description thanks to The EDGE, with their Sign Language Interpreted and Audio Described Performances (SIGNAL) programme. So far they have hosted three notable audio described performances at The Civic, with Miss Saigon, Calendar Girls and Anything Goes. Visit www.the-edge.co.nz/signal for upcoming performances.
On the small screen, blind and partially sighted New Zealanders can now enjoy a number of audio described programmes thanks to funding from NZ On Air. Upcoming audio described programmes are listed on TVNZ’s Access Services website www.tvnz.co.nz/ access-services
Praise must go to the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand for its great work in championing many of these initiatives. We look forward to further developments in 2012... until then, happy listening!